Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,306 in Motherwell, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Motherwell
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Motherwell Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Motherwell

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,306

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Motherwell and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Motherwell and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,306 in Motherwell versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Motherwell $2,306
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,342 in Motherwell versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Motherwell $3,342
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,377 in Motherwell versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Motherwell $4,377
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Motherwell is roughly 92% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Motherwell is 71% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.71 £14.71

$10.67 MX$200

84.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 £49.73

$43.80 MX$819

52.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.85

$11.79 MX$220

-10.77%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.61

$3.79 MX$70.8

27.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.76

$1.30 MX$24.26

81.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.41

$0.83 MX$15.59

127.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 £4.07

$3.15 MX$58.9

73.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.09

$4.93 MX$92.3

38.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.41 MX$26.35

4.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$2.20 MX$41.07

-25.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.66

$1.47 MX$27.54

51.70%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.03

$2.50 MX$46.70

62.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 £6.90

$7.29 MX$136

26.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.93

$7.95 MX$149

16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.02 £12.71

$12.86 MX$241

32.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.21

$2.90 MX$54.2

2.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.38 MX$25.87

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.09

$2.49 MX$46.59

12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 £2.36

$2.03 MX$37.97

55.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$2.02 MX$37.88

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 £1.02

$1.90 MX$35.60

-27.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.14 MX$21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.24 MX$23.17

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.09 £16.49

$4.27 MX$79.9

417.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 £7.86

$9.81 MX$184

7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.44

$1.59 MX$29.66

105.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.49

$2.75 MX$51.3

21.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 £2.98

$0.51 MX$9.63

682.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 £73.6

$27.39 MX$512

259.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 £4.37

$4.76 MX$89.1

22.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 £1.40

$3.25 MX$60.8

-42.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.71 £17.70

$5.39 MX$101

339.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 £1.63

$1.53 MX$28.58

43.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$39.4K £29.4K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

85.78%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.1K £30.6K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

76.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$236 £176

$83.5 MX$1,562

183.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.05 £14.96

$23.19 MX$434

-13.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.38 £32.38

$27.61 MX$516

57.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.11 £32.93

$56.4 MX$1,056

-21.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.62 £4.94

$28.19 MX$527

-76.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 £9.03

$5.00 MX$93.5

141.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,128 £842

$207 MX$3,873

444.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.0K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

335.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 £89.9

$43.45 MX$813

177.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.45 £35.42

$42.54 MX$796

11.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.2

$72.8 MX$1,361

42.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 £68.7

$88.4 MX$1,653

4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 £947

$995 MX$18.6K

27.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 £769

$382 MX$7,152

169.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 £1,560

$1,674 MX$31.3K

24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 £1,209

$1,081 MX$20.2K

49.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,310 £3,964

$3,909 MX$73.1K

35.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 £2,523

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-44.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-56.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Motherwell: October 31, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Motherwell

$1K 44.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 62.9% $648

Groceries & Markets

Motherwell

$310 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 16.8% $52

Eating Out

Motherwell

$305 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 34.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Motherwell

$300 13%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 55.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Motherwell

$164 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 32% $52

Getting Around

Motherwell

$130 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 61.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Motherwell

$68 3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 2.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,268 in Motherwell and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67 in Motherwell vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Motherwell

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

5 h behind Motherwell

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,120

149,923

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Motherwell Playa del Carmen 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Motherwell
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Motherwell vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,459 in Motherwell and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,268 in Motherwell versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Motherwell. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44 versus $67 in Motherwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,306 in Motherwell, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Motherwell. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Motherwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.